Hull Bay - St. Thomas US VI

[lambroving]

Mentioned in my other St. Thomas snap http://www.leica-camera-user.com/spo...mas-us-vi.html this is a small, hidden bay where the locals go, which I found with the aid of a map and driving down some single-track roads. Definitely not a tourist trap! Naturally, when I arrived, the beach was in deep shadow. I watched and waited for 10 minutes (seemed like hours) until that light broke down the beach. Then..., I had to go find a Dutch beer in a little bar with no walls just behind the tree line to the right. Could have spent the day there, 30+ C, but had to keep moving. Damn cruises...

M7, 28/2, f5.6 @ 1/380th, Portra 160 NC.

[andybarton]

Easily the best one of this series, William.

How long do these cruise liners allow you on-shore?

[Rona|d]

Wow, great shot and location. With this shot you definitely don´t feed the "trolls", William

p.s. Nobody is allowed to mention the vignetting!

[billh]

That sure does look inviting! Nice, William!

[imported_peter_m]

Very inviting William it be a place to spend some time

The colors are great very nicely captured. And a bar on the beach would be a great bonus

Peter

[wbesz]

It's the vignetting that helps to complete the scene.

[LADP]

Looks like a gorgeous spot. Very nicely captured too, William. Thanks for sharing it.

[stunsworth]

Looks like a very nice place to spend a day or two, or a week, or a month :-)

Is that a jetty on some description in the bottom left? Getting feet wet and walking down it could have produced some interesting alternative shots.

In spite of Ron's comment am I allowed to mention the vignetting? It seems much more severe than the other shot you mention taken at the same aperture. I've absolutely no idea why that's the case.

[jmr]

William,

beautifully inviting colours, warmth and perspective. Thanks.

[ddp]

Dutch beer, eh?

I like the shot...of course the texture makes it a winner in my book.

[Rona|d]

Beware of the sharks, Steve. This is not the Manchester Ship Canal!

Originally Posted by stunsworth

Getting feet wet and walking down it could have produced some interesting alternative shots.

[hoppyman]

William a very pleasant scene captured. Absolutely characteristic of that 28. Waiting for the sunlight was very much worthwhile. I'm sure that the beer wasn't bad either.

[jejuneje]

Regretably, this shot falls a little short of being perfect...I am not in it, relaxing.
Beautiful. The calm has reached me through this monitor.

[pemayeux]

William, what an idyllic shot of paradise. I agree with the others, wish I was there. I like the vignetting effect of the 28 as well. The color and light was worth the wait even without a beer. Cheers, Paul.

[stuny]

William -

Gorgeous shot, perfectly rendered. I could go on for at least 20 minutes why we don't like cruises, and your statement is in the midst of the pack. Of course the "Dutch beer" comment has to do with the island previously belonging to The Netherlands.

[leicamann]

Wlliam.. lovely composed shot. I would say vignetting..more like the lens shade..which I overcome by simply putting a piece of cardboard 18"x 12" over the top of the camera in intense light like this..works like a charm.

Thanks for your posting

Regards, Leicamann

[andybarton]

Nice to see you posting again, John.

I thought you'd gone into hibernation for the winter

[darkness30]

William Welldone. It looks a bit grainy here but i never tried portra so i cannot really know other than that the color of the sea is wonderful looks just like here in mediterrenean sea.

The harsh sun is a big problem here as well.

Mehmet

[lambroving]

Sorry..., been busy the last couple of days. BS mainly with the stock market crashing...

Glad a few of you found this "warming". It's been warm"ish" here the last two days, but winter ain't over. It's back on Sunday. Winter can't end soon enough for me. Still snow and salt everywhere...

A few coments: This scan is not wonderful. My local lab lost his lazer on his big Agfa processor and sent this to another lab with a similar machine but obviously a less skilled operator. The prints look O.K., but the scan is definitely grainy and not much like 160 NC. Maybe it's not quite in focus as I'm used to far greater resolution. You've all seen my other stuff and it's much better. Worst case, I'll use Dan's lab which is equally reasonable but a lot less convenient.

As for the vignetting, for some reason it always becomes more pronounced when I "save for web" in PSE2. A lot of what you may perceive as vignetting may come from the fact that I'm standing in deep overcast while the light down the beach is blazing. Look at the sky. As for alternates, I had lots of time but only shot two more frames. My first instinct is usually right, as it was here, with 2/3 of the decaying launching ramp leading into the water. Only Dan, Ron and Chris Day know how I frame my shots, but it must be excruciatingly painful to watch! Let's just say I don't use much film to get what I want.

For me it was a business trip, but Stuart is right about cruises. Don't waste your money. They dump you mid-morning and sail at 4 - 5 PM, with or without you. Managed to get to the west end of St. Thomas, but hit severe traffic in mid-afternoon trying to get to the east end and had to rush back to the docks. Stress!!! This little bay is about as remote from the tourists as you can get and I was lucky to find it. Only because we docked early in St. Thomas to allow the U.S. Customs staff aboard was I able to hire a Wrangler and drive over the mountain to this spot before high noon! Photo ops on cruises are not great to say the least. The Grolsch was perfect in this heat though... Excellence in brewing since 1615......

[stunsworth]

William, I've never used PSE2, just 4 and Photoshop up to and including the beta of CS3, and never noticed any of those introducing a progressive change of levels towards the edge of the frames. If the vignetting is being caused by the software it may be time to upgrade if you want to to present your photographs in the best possible light (no pun intended). The upgrade to Elements 5 isn't that expensive, and there's a 30 day trial available which would enamble you to see if it is really the software causing the problem before purchase.

I can't see the vignetting being caused by you being in the shade, the sun is coming from the right and there sky is unobstructed by trees etc - certainly to the left which appears to be over the sea.